Mechanism for preparing boats for launching.



J. MGGOLDRIOK.

MECHANISM FOR PREPARING BOATS FOR LAUNGHING. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3,1911.

1,022,432, Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm. WASHINGTON. D. c.

J. MoGOLDRIGK.

MEGHANISMIOR PREPARING BOATS FOB LAUNGHING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1911.

1,022,432,, Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOHN MGGOLDRICK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MECHANISM FOR PREPARING- BOATS FOR LAUNCHING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Application filed December 8, 1911. Serial No. 664,627.

vide means to facilitate the launching ofboats and has for itsparticular object to facilitate those operations which are preliminaryto the actual lowering of the boat, these including releasing of theboat from the chocks upon which it is, when swinging inboard normallycarried, the release of the gripes holding the boat on the chocks fromthe boat, the release of the davits from a lock holding them in theirinboard position, and the release from the boat of a cover placedthereon as a protection against the weather. In case the boat isnormally carried outboard the mechanism here described will result inthe releasing of the cover by the lowering of the boat itself, while ifthe boat is normally carried inboard my construction is such that theseveral operations above named are all performed by the actuation of twolevers, lo-

cated respectively upon the two davits and each worked by a singleattendant, so that two men only are required to clear the boat andprepare it for lowering, and as the several functions above named followfrom a single movement of the said levers and simultaneously occur, itwill be seen that the several operations necessary to clear the boatwill be performed in a minimum of time.

For the purpose above stated therefore, my invention may be said tocomprise generally chocks, means for maintaining the chocks in an erectposition beneath the boat gripes adapted to hold the boat down upon thechocks and to hold the chocks erect, locks between the boat and coverand be tween the boat and gripes, levers located upon the davits andconnected with the locking devices, and; connections between the leversand the locks, whereby the said locks may be released to release thecover from the boat; (which cover will when the boat is lowered becarried on the said connection) and to release the gripes from the boatpermitting them to fall and thus release the chocks beneath the boat.

The above constitutes the features forming my complete invention but itwill be understood that the several parts specified are capable ofindependent use and I do not therefore limit my claims of invention tothe combination of all of the said parts, although by the constructionwhich I employ a simultaneous and concurrent action of all of theseveral parts is insured when present.

My invention further consists in the construction, combination andarrangement of the several parts of which it is composed which will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts aredesignated by corresponding marks of reference: Figure 1 is an elevationlooking outwardly of a pair of davits and accessory parts embodying myinvention, the boat being shown conventionally, and the mounting of oneof the chocks being shown broken away. Fig. 2 is a fragmental endelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail fragmental view of the latches.Fig. 4 is a section on line w en of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top plan view ofthe chock and the locking mechanism therefor. Fig. 6 is a section onlines 012 -00 of Fig. 5, showing the bearing block upon the bottom ofthe boat. Fig. 7 is a detailed end view of the davit with the lever andlocking mechanism thereon. Fig. 8 is a view at right angles thereto.Fig. 9 is a detail view of plan of a locking bolt. Fig. 10 is a frontelevation of one of the chocks. Fig. 11 is. an inverted plan andelevation of a bearing block.

The boat 1, when swung inboard normally rests on two chocks 2, which aresituated beneath her keel at appropriate points along her length, oneaft and the other forward. Each chock comprises a head 3, having arounded top 3*, and side shoulders 3 and is pivoted on a pin 3, betweentwo bearings 4, secured on a block 45 fast on the deck of the vessel..On each edge of the block is also a limiting shoulder 3, which bycontacting -with the corresponding bearing limits the movement of thechock in one direction. The two chocks for each boat are similarlyplaced, that is are so placed that the limiting shoulders thereon arrestlike movements of the two chocks, while the movements of the chocks inthe opposite direction is normally arrested by the chock locks to behereinafter described.

The weight of the boat on the chocks is distributed over the bottomthereof by the castings 5, fast to the bottom of the boat, and providedon their undersides with recesses 5, having rounded bottoms into whichthe top of the chocks enter, the recesses having end walls 5 to preventside movement of the boat on the chocks.

Over the boat is placed the cover 6. As shown this consists of a seriesof transverse pieces 6, resting on the gunwales 1 of the boat, andcarrying a fore and aft central member 6 and the rafters 6, over whichis placed the sheathing 6. As shown the framing is of angle iron, butobviously it can be made of wood and the sheathing of wood, sheet metalor canvas, as desired. The removable cover terminates inside the end ofthe boat to clear the fall blocks 7,

and the protection of the ends of the boat is provided by pieces 6attached to the gunwales of the boat and the bow and stern.

The cover is secured in place upon the boat by a series of latch hooks8, having beveled lower outer corners, disposed at suitable points aboutits periphery and pivoted to the rafters 6 and 8 the hook ends of whichengage the inner lower edges of the boat gunwales 1. Each latch hookpasses through a cut-away portion 9 of a bolt 9 guided in clips 9"9 andan eye stud 9, on the transverse piece 6 the bolts being normallyprojected outwardly by springs 10, encircling their shanks and pressingagainst the eye studs as abutinents, whereby the latch hooks will beheld in engagement with the gunwales, the outward movement of the boltsbeing limited when the cover is dis engaged from the boat by lugs 9thereon. The outer end of each bolt which is situated over the castings5, projects beyond the gunwales, and locks the boat in the chocks byentering an eye 11 on a gripe link 11 located in a vertical slot 1*, cutin the outer edge of the gunwales. Each of the gripe links, of whichthere are two on each side of the boat,

I is connected by a flexible connection, such as the lashing 12, whichmay be tightened, with a lever 13 fixedly mounted on the outer end of ashaft 13, one of each of which is carried in each bearing at, andprojecting therethrough has an eccentric 14 fast on its inner endimmediately inside the bearing, the angular displacement of the leverand eccentric being such that when the lever is slightly inclined fromthe vertical the end of the eccentric will be pressed against theadjacent side shoulder 3 of the corresponding chock, holding the lattererect, while when the two levers corresponding to each chock are allowedto fall under the influence of gravity, the eccentrics thereon are movedout of the way of the side shoulders, and the chocks permitted to fall,the head of the chocks dropping between the inner ends of the shafts 13and thus well out of the way of the boat.

The davits 15 for handling the boat are of usual construction and areconnected at their heads by the spreader 16, which is pivoted thereon bythe pins of the fall block eyes 17 and each davit has secured at aconvenient height thereon a saddle 18, in any suitable manner, as by acollar 18 To each saddle is pivoted a lever 19, to which above itspivotal point and eccentric thereto is secured one end of a rope or cord20, consisting preferably of stranded wire, which after passing overguide pulleys 21 carried by brackets 21 on the davit, is threadedbetween a pair of guide pulleys 22, carried on heads 22 on the blockfall eye, from which the rope passes to a pulley 23 on the spreader nearthe end thereof, and downwardly therefrom, where it is divided into twoleaders, 2O20 which respectively pass over pulleys 242t placed onopposite sides of the fore and aft member 1 of the cover and thencetoward the center of the boat, they having secondary leaders 20, led offtherefrom around pulleys 25 on the trans verse members 6*, to the innerends of the bolts 9 on which they are secured, the rope 20 from eachdavit being connected to all of the bolts on the corresponding end ofthe boat. It will be noted that, as the ropes are led from the davit tothe boat through the axes on which the davits and spreader turn inswinging the boat, movements of the davits to accomplish the latter arewithout effect upon the tension of the ropes.

The yokes 26 by which the davits are secured to the vessel havediametrically placed recesses 26 in their upper faces, into which alatch pin 27 carried in a collar 28 on the corresponding davit mayproject, the pins when projected therein locking the davit in theinboard or outboard position. The latch pin 27 on each davit isconnected to the releasing lever thereon by means of a link 29, theconnection being such that a movement of the lever to place strain uponthe rope connected therewith releases the pin from the yoke.

In the operation of my device, the boat resting inboard 011 the chocks,two operators only are required to prepare it for lowering, one operatorat each lever 19. These operators by pulling the levers over in thedirection of the arrows Fig. 1 draw the ropes 20, and leaders 20 and 20thus retracting the bolts 9. The first movement of these bolts releasethe gripe links which fall out of the slots in the gunwale, moving upontheir flexible connection with the gripe levers, and allowing the saidlevers to fall by gravity, releasing the chock looks. The subsequentmovement of the bolts withdraw the hook latches 8 from the gunwales,releasing the cover from the boat. The movements of the levers alsorelease the locking pins on the davits from the yokes, permitting thedavits to be swung to put the boat outboard, as is usual. This movement,if made in the proper direction, causes the chocks to fall, leaving theboat clear to be handled in the usual manner, the locking pins againarresting the davits when swung outboard.

If the boat is carried outboard it is only necessary to release thecover therefrom to prepare it for lowering, and this may in such case beaccomplished by simply lowering the boat. In such case the cover remainssuspended from the spreader by the ropes 20 and the weight of the coverand boat retracts the bolts to unlock the cover from the boat, thelowering of the boat affording means for placing strain on the ropes torelease the catches.

It will be noted that the bolts 9 not only release the boat from thecover but also from the gripes, which latter remain attached to thevessel, being thus prevented from being displaced and the release of thegripes releases the chock locks leaving them free to fall on themovement of the boat.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a boatreleasing device, the combination with aboat and its cover, and chocks for the boat, of means for securing theboat and cover together, gripes for holding the boat upon the chocks andcontrolling the position of the said chocks and means for simultaneouslyreleasing the boat from the cover and from the gripes whereby the chocksare also released.

2. In a boat releasing device, the combination with a boat and itscover, of means for securing the boat and cover together, chocks andgripes for the boat and means for simultaneously releasing the boat fromthe cover and gripes and means actuated by the release of the gripes forreleasing the chocks.

3. The combination with davits, of a boat, a cover therefor, catchesbetween the boat and cover, and connections between the catches anddavits, whereby such catches are released upon the lowering of the boat.

4. The combination with davits, of a boat, a cover therefor, catches onthe cover adapted to engage the boat, a connection between the catchesand davits, and means for placing strain upon the said connections forreleasing the catches.

5. The combination with a boat, of chocks therefor, gripes for holdingthe boat on the chocks, locks for the chocks controlled by the gripes, acover, means for locking the cover to the boat, and means situated inthe cover for releasing the boat from the cover and from the gripes.

6. In a boat releasing device, the combination with a boat, of pivotedchocks, of pivoted gripes, means for attaching the gripes to the boatand for thereby holding the boat in a position to lock the chocks, aframe normally above the boat and means in the said frame for releasingthe gripes from the boat whereby they may move to release the chocks.

7. In a boat releasing device, the combination with a boat, of pivotedchocks, of pivoted gripes, means for attaching the gripes to the boatand for thereby holding the gripes in a position to lock the chocks, aframe normally above the boat, means for locking the frame to the boat,means carried by the said frame for releasing the chocks and frame fromthe boat and an upwardly extending connection through the said releasingmeans in the frame to fixed supports.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twowitnesses this 1st day of November, 1911.

JOHN MCGOLDRIOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

